Chapter 24: Are mentally ill people more thoughtful? No, they're more cunning!

Completely terrified awake by the skull on the city wall, Yun Zhan's will to survive reached an unprecedented peak. Escape! He had to escape! But looking at the two guards in the courtyard who stood like gatekeepers, he felt like a hamster trapped in a transparent cage, unable to get out even as he ran on his wheel until sparks flew.

He decided to adopt a direct negotiation strategy.

“Brother Yan,” he found Yan Linye in the study, who was dealing with documents, and tried to make his expression look sincere and aggrieved, “I acted impulsively last time, and I know I was wrong. Look at my small frame, where can I run off to? These two older brothers are following me around all day, it’s really uncomfortable… Could you… get rid of them?”

Yan Linye looked up from his documents, his gaze lingering on his still somewhat pale face for a moment. His tone was gentle yet firm: "You're not fully recovered yet, and things aren't peaceful outside. I feel more at ease with them by your side."

Yun Zhan: "..." Don't be so sure! You just don't trust me to run away!

"I really don't need protection!" Yun Zhan tried to argue. "I'm perfectly safe in the villa!"

"Safety?" Yan Linye put down his pen, looked at him with deep eyes, "If you stay quietly in the villa, they will naturally not disturb you."

The words sounded harmless, but no matter how Yun Zhan thought about it, he felt it was a reference to his previous escape. He was seething with anger, but couldn't lash out, so he could only leave dejectedly.

If it doesn't work the first time, try again.

Two days later, Yun Zhan changed his tune again: "Brother Yan, could you ask them to keep their distance? At least... not follow me so closely? I'm a grown man, and someone's guarding the door when I go to the outhouse, is that appropriate?"

Yan Linye was drinking tea when he heard this. He paused, looked up at him, and seemed to smile slightly: "Oh? They even guarded the outhouse? They're quite dutiful. I'll tell them to be careful."

Yun Zhan thought he had a chance, but the next day he discovered that the guards had stopped following him to the outhouse door and were now stationed at the only entrance to the courtyard... Was there a difference?! Huh?!

After several attempts, Yun Zhan felt like he was punching cotton. Yan Linye always used that gentle yet firm attitude to deflect his anger, leaving him unable to vent his frustration and feeling internally aggrieved.

"Ugh! I'm so angry!" Back in his room, Yun Zhan could only rage helplessly at the air. "System! Look at him! He's completely unresponsive! How am I supposed to play this game?!"

[The target is determined, logically consistent, and extremely defensive. The host failed to break through head-on and lost control of their emotions.] System Xiaoqi calmly stated the facts.

"It's all your fault! This broken system of yours can't help at all! What use are you!" Yun Zhan habitually shifted the blame.

[This system provides strategy assistance, but does not offer verbal abuse services. Also, please note that your anger will neither melt the guards nor open the gates of the villa.]

"What am I supposed to do?! Am I really just going to wait here to die, waiting for my skull to end up on the wall with those guys?!" Yun Zhan cried out in despair.

[Based on comparative analysis of multiple databases, there is a situation where the more someone emphasizes that they are normal, the more likely they are to be judged as abnormal and subject to stricter control.] The system suddenly popped up a sentence.

"What do you mean?" Yun Zhan didn't understand.

[Simplified explanation: Once admitted to a mental hospital, the more someone shouts "I'm not sick," the harder it is for them to be discharged.]

Yun Zhan was stunned.

A mental hospital? Claiming you're not sick?

He pondered the system's words carefully. Right! Wasn't he in a similar situation? The more vehemently he opposed surveillance and emphasized that he didn't need protection, the more Yan Linye perceived it as an admission that he still harbored thoughts of escape, thus justifying even stricter surveillance.

This is a vicious cycle!

Once Yun Zhan understood this, it was as if a sudden enlightenment had struck him!

He can't continue being that "patient" who keeps saying he's not sick! He has to change his strategy! He has to... pretend he's "cured"! He even has to act more "normal" and more "cooperative" than before he "got sick"!

Yes! Go along with it! Put him on the back foot! Let him lower his guard!

Yun Zhan's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had found the golden road to freedom (although there were still many guards along the way).

Without further ado, Yun Zhan immediately began his "Best Actor" career.

He no longer glared at the guards behind him, but would occasionally exchange a few words with them, though they still ignored him. He no longer tried to step out of the gate of the villa, spending his days strolling around the courtyard, looking at the flowers, and playing with the birds (kept in the villa), appearing content with his current life and enjoying a peaceful existence.

More importantly, he revived the "improvement of people's livelihood" project that he had long abandoned!

He approached Yan Linye with a perfectly timed, gentle smile, as if he had already let go of his resentment: "Brother Yan, I was sick the other day and couldn't be of much help. Now that I'm better, I think that waterwheel could be improved a bit. Also, I've thought of a new composting method that might reduce the smell..."

Yan Linye looked at his sudden change, a hint of surprise and inquiry flashing in his eyes. He carefully examined Yun Zhan, trying to find any trace of pretense on his face.

But who is Yun Zhan? He's a modern-day office worker who can slack off right under his boss's nose and still keep smiling! His acting skills might not be top-notch, but they're enough to fool the ancients.

His eyes were "open and honest," his tone was "sincere," and he even seemed a little cautious, as if he wanted to "make amends."

Yan Linye looked at him for a long time, his tense expression gradually easing, and the gloom in the depths of his eyes caused by the previous argument and Yun Zhan's illness seemed to dissipate somewhat. He nodded, his tone regaining its usual gentleness: "You're thoughtful. If you need anything, just tell the people below."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Yan!" Yun Zhan gave a "well-behaved" smile, but his inner voice was racing: First step, lowering his guard, success!

In the days that followed, Yun Zhan transformed into a diligent little bee, constantly drawing blueprints, communicating with craftsmen, and occasionally accompanying Yan Linye to the estate for on-site inspections, offering various "constructive" suggestions. He no longer mentioned removing the guards, as if he had completely accepted this "protection."

Seeing that he seemed to have truly settled down to his work and stopped clamoring to leave, Yan Linye noticed that the wariness in his eyes was indeed decreasing day by day. Although the guards still followed him, the distance seemed to have increased, and the sense of surveillance was no longer so obvious.

The atmosphere in the villa seemed to have returned to that relatively harmonious and peaceful time from the beginning. At least on the surface.

While diligently playing the role of a "technical advisor who has turned back from the brink," Yun Zhan was silently calculating the best time to escape.

"System, see that? This is called strategy! Intelligence suppression!" he said smugly.

[Host's acting is exaggerated and a bit too obvious. We suggest improving micro-expression management. However, the target seems... to like it?] The system expressed its confusion.

"What do you know? This is called 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'! Uh, no, it's 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'!" Yun Zhan corrected, then became wary again, "Pah! What lover! It's 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'!"

He shook his head and continued to immerse himself in his "performance".

Beneath this temporary calm lies Yun Zhan's unwavering determination to escape and an impending real confrontation.